Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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157. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the extent to which he has investigated the inclusion of a rapid build housing programme in each local authority experiencing a housing crisis; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35590/16]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The key aim of the rapid build housing programme is to fast-track the delivery of much needed homes, particularly for homeless families. Under the Rebuilding Ireland: Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness, a total of 1,500 rapid-build units will be delivered by 2018.

My Department is currently working closely with the four Dublin local authorities in relation to the rapid delivery programme. To date, 22 rapid build units have already been delivered and are occupied and by end year a total of 350 rapid-build homes will be advancing through various stages of delivery, including construction. A further 650 rapid-build homes will be advanced in 2017, with another 500 units to be delivered in 2018.

In addition to working with the four Dublin local authorities on their rapid delivery programmes, my Department is also encouraging other local authorities with urgent housing needs to advance a range of rapid delivery projects so as to ensure the delivery of units in the quickest manner possible.

Of particular note is the establishment of a framework of rapid build contractors by the Office of Government Procurement, which is currently at the final stages of tender evaluation. The framework will be in place next month and will mean that local authorities across the country will be able to run quicker procurement competitions and advance rapid build projects to site more efficiently and effectively.

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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159. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the extent to which enhanced measures can be put in place to make housing more affordable to first-time buyers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35592/16]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The lack of a sufficient supply of homes to meet demand has led to the current pressures in the housing market, making it difficult for first-time and other buyers to access housing at affordable levels.

The Rebuilding Ireland Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness outlines the Government’s commitment to develop a fully functioning housing market that meets the housing needs of all, by overcoming the current supply shortfall and increasing the national supply level to over 25,000 new homes per year by 2021. Rebuilding Ireland takes a holistic approach in addressing the many interacting structural constraints affecting the housing market by including actions to streamline the planning system, remove infrastructure blockages and support the delivery of affordable housing. These measures should help make new developments economically viable in areas where supply constraints and price pressures are particularly acute.

Only last week, I announced details of 23 Major Urban Housing Development Sites with the potential to deliver up to 30,000 additional homes on existing zoned lands and close to the key areas of demand over the next three to four years. These sites will be highlighted as exemplars for the co-ordination and delivery of plan-led housing development and active land management.

In order to quickly get these and other key sites moving, a €200 million Local Infrastructure Housing Activation Fund (LIHAF) has been established. Twenty-one local authorities, working in conjunction with housing providers, submitted proposals for funding which are currently being evaluated. Successful bid proposals will be announced in December.

Separately, the NTMA and ISIF are currently exploring opportunities to support the delivery of housing-related on-site enabling infrastructure in large-scale priority development areas with a view to kick starting the development process.

Given the particular challenge faced by first-time buyers in accessing the housing market, my colleague, the Minister for Finance, recently announced a Help-to-Buy initiative as part of Budget 2017. The Help-to-Buy initiative has been designed to complement the structural measures announced in Rebuilding Ireland; by providing immediate and targeted support for first-time buyers of new homes in meeting their deposit requirements, greater certainty regarding the pool of available purchasers is provided to the house-building sector, encouraging the construction of new housing units.

The combined effect of these, and other actions, under the Plan, will help reduce costs and deliver more housing at affordable prices, where it is greatly needed.